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Summary

2015 is, clearly, too far away for the next Metal Gear Solid game. Fortunately Konami and Kojima Productions have your back. Bridging the gap is Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, a prologue for the main event, The Phantom Pain.

As a prologue, it's a stripped down affair that doesn't boast the heft of a fully-fledged entry to the series. Fortunately the price tag reflects this. It's not just in its size that it's a stripped back experience, however. Kojima Productions has pared things back to provide a lean, mean stealth machine. The trademark cutscenes are short and the boss battles are less elaborate, making for a more streamlined gaming experience.

Ground Zeroes follows a rescue mission that has players infiltrate a Cuban prison camp and sets off a chain of events that lead directly into MGS V: The Phantom Pain. There's a shift in tone from previous instalments. While high concept political machinations and triple-crossing agents are still very much in play, it's a darker, grittier game than previous titles in the series.

The biggest change, however, is the introduction of an open world for gamers to play in. This opens things up for a more cerebral approach or, if you prefer, the option to pile in guns blazing, whether the new Fox Engine is throwing up rain-soaked night-time or starkly-realised daytime.

If you need tiding over until The Phantom Pain (and maybe a taste of things to come) look no further.